Pen vandal: Graham Hoodless, 68, waged a nine-week revenge campaign on an Asda supermarket in Peterborough by pushing pens into foodstuffs. He has been banned from the store for two years and was ordered to pay £695 compensation

A pensioner who waged a nine-week campaign of revenge against an Asda store by hiding pens in food has been banned from the shop.

Graham Hoodless, 68, contaminated meat, fish, cheese and cakes in the supermarket's branch in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, by pushing small pens from a bookies into the foodstuffs.

Mr Hoodless decided to take revenge after he was falsely accused of defacing newspapers in the store.

The hidden pen campaign cost the supermarket giant nearly £700.

Peterborough Crown Court heard how Mr Hoodless waged a 'repeated and sustained campaign' against the shop by sneaking the pens into packaging when staff were not looking.

Horrified customers only discovered them when they started preparing their food to cook or eat.

The retired oil refinery worker was only caught when suspicious store bosses spotted him on CCTV hovering by the Halal meat counter.

Hoodless, from Peterborough, pleaded guilty to contaminating or infecting food with intent to cause public alarm.

During sentencing on December 17 Judge Sean Enright ordered the pen vandal to pay Asda £694.50 compensation - although some of this sum has already been paid back.

Anthony Hook, prosecuting, told the
court: 'The offences started in July this year. Staff started to find
pens had been put into food stuff on the shelves.